How To Live a Quiet Life in a Big City
City life and the pandemic make it harder — but not impossible.
City lifestyle combined with a pandemic is a recipe for a mental health disaster.
At first, it seemed like living a quiet life would be easier under lockdown. We were confined to our houses and limited social circles. Some of us stopped commuting to work. Many activities disappeared from our calendars simply because they had to.
If it made our lives seem quieter, it was only for a moment. Soon, we started experiencing more noise than ever. That noise is now more persistent in our minds than on the busy streets.
Pandemic-related stressors, such as job loss, financial hardship, restricted personal freedoms, or isolation are just a few factors that — according to this article published in The New England Journal of Medicine — “undoubtedly will contribute to widespread emotional distress and increased risk for psychiatric illness associated with Covid-19.” To deal with that distress, many people came up with ideas to keep themselves “sane and productive.”
We started baking bread and working out. We jumped at the opportunity to rethink our lives. To finally write that book, or lose those extra 10 pounds. Meanwhile, we brought our work and social meetings online, spending even…
